Lemur Le"mur (l[=e]"m[u^]r), n. [L., a ghost, specter. So
called on account of its habit of going abroad by night.]
(Zo["o]l.)
One of a family ({Lemurid[ae]}) of nocturnalmammals allied
to the monkeys, but of small size, and having a sharp and
foxlike muzzle, and large eyes. They feed upon birds,
insects, and fruit, and are mostly natives of Madagascar and
the neighboring islands, one genus ({Galago}) occurring in
Africa. The slow lemur or {kukang} of the East Indies is
{Nycticebus tardigradus}. See {Galago}, {Indris}, and
{Colugo}.
[1913 Webster]

lemur — nocturnal Madagascar mammal, 1795, coined by Linnaeus, from L. lemures (pl.) spirits of the dead in Roman mythology. So called for its nocturnal habits and ghostly stares. Lemuria (1864) was the name given by P.L. Sclater to a hypothetical… … Etymology dictionary